Coventry Blaze return to summit as Panthers lose again

DOUBLES from Luke Fulghum and Jonathan Weaver ensured Coventry Blaze returned to the top of the league with a 6-3 defeat of Edinburgh Capitals.

Greg Chambers and Danny Stewart scored the other two for the Blaze as they celebrated their fifth consecutive win and handed the Capitals their fifth straight loss.

It wasn't one-way traffic for the whole game as the Scottish outfit took the lead through Simon Lambert.

The Capitals raised a few eyebrows again, fighting back from 3-1 down to level terms at 3-3.

But Fulghum's second goal in the 37th minute edged the West Midlands side ahead again, before two goals in the last ten minutes settled the match.

Meanwhile, Nottingham Panthers poor form continued as they suffered their second defeat in as many days at home to Belfast Giants.

The Panthers lost a classic match 6-3 in Northern Ireland on Friday but were handed a humbling 4-0 defeat in the return tie on Saturday as the Giants pulled level on points with the East Midlands side.

British goaltender Stephen Murphy pulled off 32 saves for his fourth shutout of the season as Jeff Szwez's double and goals from Colin Shields and Brandon Benedict secured the result for the Giants.

Elsewhere, Sheffield Steelers scored their third win on the bounce as they cruised past lowly Hull Stingrays 4-1.

Brad Cruikshank scored his 100th Elite League goal with Matt Hubbauer, Jonathan Phillips and Jeff Legue also finding the net for the Steelers while Sylvain Cloutier notched the Stingrays consolation.

Finally, David Longstaff's overtime strike handed Newcastle Vipers victory over Cardiff Devils.

The Vipers thought they had won it in normal time after Matus Petricko's tenth goal of the season but Tyler Michel forced the extra period with a last minute strike.